The present invention relates to shock absorbing and damping devices and more particularly to a hydraulic device to absorb energy from a recoil of a gun barrel.
Shock absorbing devices (energy dissipative mechanisms) are widely used when it is desired to absorb or dampen the effect of a sudden movement. For example, hydraulic shock absorbers are used between cars on trains and as part of the suspension system on automobiles. In hydraulic damper systems a liquid, usually an oil, is pumped through a hole, for example, by a piston operating in a cylinder or a vane rotatably moving in a pot (casing). The rate of piston or vane movement is set by the orifice size, the damping is obtained by the resistance of the liquid due to its viscosity, and the object whose movement energy is damped is connected to the piston or vane.
When a gun, such as a cannon, fires its projectile the force of the projectile leaving the cannon is absorbed by a controlled backward movement (recoil) of the cannon barrel. In addition, appreciable return energy of the cannon barrel components must be dissipated during its latter motion in counter-recoil to prevent induced destructive forces on the main weapon system structure. It is known that hydraulic shock absorbers may be used as the recoil mechanism to dissipate part of the energy of the cannon's recoil. Such a recoil mechanism must be reliable, rugged and accurate. The cannon recoil motion starts rapidly and its force may be large. The field environment of the cannon and its recoil mechanism may be difficult and may include sand, dust, dirt and water.